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Fall Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe with Cranberries

Fall Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

A creamy, lightly sweet chicken salad featuring crisp apples, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, celery, and a tangy lemon-Dijon dressing. Serve it as a salad, sandwich filling, wrap filling, or croissant lunch.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 minute
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken Salad
  • 3 cups Cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
  • 1 large Large crisp apple, cored and diced
  • 1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup Celery, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons Red onion, finely diced
Dressing
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon Honey
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Serving
  • as needed Lettuce leaves, croissants, sandwich bread, or wraps

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. If cooking chicken from raw, season about 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes, or until the thickest part reaches 165°F, then cool completely before chopping or shredding.
  2. Toast the chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring often. Remove them as soon as they smell fragrant and let them cool before adding them to the salad.
  3. Whisk the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt or sour cream, honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl until smooth.
  4. Add the chicken, diced apple, celery, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and optional red onion to a large bowl. Toss gently so the apple pieces remain intact.
  5. Fold the dressing into the chicken mixture until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust with a little more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or honey if desired.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Spoon the chilled salad over lettuce or serve it in croissants, sandwich bread, or wraps with additional apple slices or pecans.

Notes

Rotisserie chicken makes this recipe especially quick. For the best texture, cool the toasted pecans before mixing and add the dressing shortly before serving. If preparing the apples in advance, toss them with a little lemon juice to help reduce browning.